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The "doors of the world" are poised to open much wider for Ventura County, as a major ocean transportation company this week officially announced the launch of its West Coast-to-Central America operation at the Port of Hueneme.

SeaLand, a regional ocean carrier of Denmark-based Maersk Group, is the latest global company to join the Port of Hueneme, a partnership port officials say could bring millions of dollars and new jobs to the local community.

At a news conference Tuesday at the port offices, Kristin Decas, port CEO and director, said SeaLand's carriers will open new opportunities for businesses that import and export produce and other products to the county and abroad.

"This is truly an exciting day for us. ... It's a game changer, and we are launching a brand-new service that creates a whole new trade corridor for us into South America, Costa Rica and Asia," Decas said.

The Port of Hueneme is now part of SeaLand's West Coast Central America Services, which also includes relay carrier services in the Port of Los Angeles and ports in Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Ecuador, Chile and Peru.

SeaLand's vessels have docked once a week at the Port of Hueneme for the past two months, but Tuesday was the official launch.

Decas said SeaLand's relay at the Port of Lázaro Cárdenas in Mexico is "especially exciting" because it serves as a transshipment hub, which will allow goods from Ventura County to also reach Asian markets.

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Kristin Decas, CEO and director of the Port of Hueneme, thanks some of the guests at Tuesday's celebration of SeaLand's launch of its West Coast-to-Central America operation at the port.(Photo: JUAN CARLO/THE STAR)

"Our customers will no longer have to ship their goods to Los Angeles and can just bring their goods here and jump onto a vessel that would go to Asia," Decas said. "It's very good to have our county have direct access to areas all over the world through our port, which provides a new window of possibilities for customers."

SeaLand Chief Operating Officer Timothy Child said opening the company's ocean carrier services at the Port of Hueneme not only will help businesses provide faster transportation of goods, but also will benefit the environment, since companies will depend less on truck deliveries.

Child said shipping about 100 loads of produce from Mexico to Port Hueneme could save companies about 1 million gallons of diesel fuel a year.

"We will be able to load and discharge closer to customer distribution points ... and customers will have a choice where they can load unload cargo," Child said. "This will enable them to take fewer trucks to do the move and less miles, which means less (carbon dioxide in the environment). It also allows us to turn our assets that much quicker and allows you to bring your product to market much faster."

While Port of Hueneme officials have yet to quantify the added revenue SeaLand's services could bring, Decas said the port already brings in $1.5 billion in revenue to the county and provides more than 2,500 direct jobs.

Stephen J. Barnard, president and CEO of Oxnard-based Mission Produce Inc., said having SeaLand's services so close means avocados the company imports from Peru and Mexico will be transported more efficiently and at greater volume.

"In the past, we get the avocados here by trucks that travel through Laredo, Texas," Barnard said. "Now we are going to do as much as we can by ocean either into here at Port Hueneme or in the East Coast at the Port of Philadelphia to save on that truck traffic. It's not only better for the environment, but it's also better for us, since we have our cold storage facility only four miles away from here. The timing of this is absolutely perfect."

Child said SeaLand is also investing millions of dollars to retrofit its vessels for cold ironing, a process that allows carrier ships to refrigerate and cool produce and other products while cargo is loaded and unloaded. Decas said officials are looking to bring the cold treatment process to the Port of Hueneme sometime in the near future.

Decas added that plans are already in the works to deepen the channel at the port, which would allow larger vessels and increase port capacity. Part of the dredging is scheduled to start by October 2017, Decas said.

At Tuesday's news conference, Oxnard Harbor District Commissioner Jess Herrera said SeaLand's services will be integral to the local economy and the environment.

"This recognizes the importance of the ocean highway," Herrera said. "I just want to tell SeaLand that we share your philosophy that every box is important and we want to grow together ... and as they say down south, 'Vamos juntos.' "

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Will Berg, far right, public Information officer for the Port of Hueneme stands near a Del Monte ship at the Port of Hueneme.(Photo: JUAN CARLO/THE STAR)

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Will Berg, far right, public Information officer for the Port of Hueneme stands near a Del Monte ship at the Port of Hueneme.(Photo: JUAN CARLO/THE STAR)